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DRAFT Introduction/Overview of Amphibian Crisis/Welcome Amphibian Conservation Resource Manual Edited by: Shelly Grow, Association of Zoos & Aquariums Vicky A. Poole, National Aquarium in Baltimore 14 September 2007 For more information about AZA and its amphibian programs, visit http://www.aza.org/ConScience/Amphibians_Intro/ Table of Contents Welcome!...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Seven Reasons for Your Facility to Participate in Amphibian Conservation ................ 4 Chapter 2: Integrating Amphibian Conservation Objectives with Institutional Collection Plans (ICPs).............................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 3: Assessing What Your Facility has to Offer................................................................................ 8 Chapter 4: Developing Amphibian Research Projects Both In situ and Ex situ ...............................14 Chapter 5: Developing In situ Conservation Projects................................................................................26 Chapter 6: Building Ex situ Facilities within Range Countries.................................................................31 Chapter 7: Amphibian Resource Manual Education Initiatives ..............................................................42 Appendix 1. List of prioritized species from Canada and the US ..........................................................45 Appendix 2: Species Coordinators.....................................................................................................................51 Appendix 3: Amphibian Conservation Funding Sources .........................................................................53 Appendix 4. Available Action Plans .................................................................................................................68 Appendix 5. Available Husbandry Manuals .................................................................................................109 2 Welcome! Roughly one-third to half of all 6,000 known amphibian species will more than likely become extinct within the next decade, an extinction crisis unprecedented since that of the dinosaurs. The combined effects of habitat loss, climate change, water and air contamination, and the chytrid fungus are the apparent culprits behind this conservation crisis. What was once considered a last resort conservation strategy – the capture and captive breeding of individual species outside of their natural habitat– has now become the only way to spare numerous species from their otherwise-certain extinction. Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited facilities have been called on by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) to each become responsible for saving one amphibian species through emergency collection and on-grounds captive rearing and by supporting international captive rearing efforts that maintain species in-range. While this may seem like an idealistic goal, AZA is asking its members to go one step further and become the leading education and awareness-raising voice on this matter, making each of our 140+ million visitors aware of the crisis and presenting them with ways to get involved. This crisis demands an unprecedented response, far beyond the zoological community’s previous experience with any taxa. The only way we are going to be successful is if individuals and institutions take the lead and develop new conservation programs for and partnerships on behalf of species in need. We cannot afford to be passive. We must be proactive and use our resources to the best of our abilities. The AZA Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group (ATAG) will provide assistance to AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums ready to respond to this conservation crisis, but cannot create programs for the hundreds of amphibians that are disappearing without your active participation. This Conservation Resource Manual will help you make informed decisions about how you can most successfully contribute to amphibian conservation, based on your facility’s resources, expertise, and expectations. This Manual shows you both why and how you can get involved. It shares the experience and expertise of your AZA colleagues in developing domestic and international captive rearing programs, in evaluating these programs in terms of conservation goals, and in developing effective and complementary education and research programs. This Manual also steers you to additional resources, including existing husbandry protocols and action plans, funding opportunities, and key contacts. The target audience for this Manual is two-fold; it is directed both at decision-makers with the power to determine whether amphibian conservation action will be one of your facility’s priorities, and even more to those individuals who will serve as project implementer(s), if resources are committed to this effort. In 2008, the ATAG will publish a Best Practices in Amphibian Conservation Resource Manual covering quarantine, hygiene and disease management, assisted reproduction, general amphibian husbandry, and construction of isolation facilities. I thank all of the authors for making these manuals useful resources and look forward to hearing from throughout the AZA community as new projects are developed. Together, we can help protect an entire class of organisms. The ATAG is here to help you. Feel free to contact me, Diane Barber, ATAG Chair, at: [email protected]; (817) 759-7180. Enjoy and Good Luck! Diane Barber Curator of Ectotherms and ATAG Chair Fort Worth Zoo 3 Chapter 1: Seven Reasons for Your Facility to Participate in Amphibian Conservation Shelly Grow, Association of Zoos & Aquariums There are plenty of reasons to get involved in amphibian conservation; the following list provides just a few: 1. The Crucial Role Zoos and Aquariums Must Play Is Clear Experts in the amphibian research community and The World Conservation Union (IUCN) agree that the only way to save numerous amphibians from extinction is to gather sustainable, healthy populations from the wild, rear them in captivity, and safeguard them until it is safe to release them into the wild. This proactive effort will protect many amphibians from the chytrid fungus, whose devastating spread is currently impossible to prevent or treat in the wild. AZA- accredited zoos and aquariums have the amphibian husbandry experience, technical expertise, and facilities that are desperately needed at this time. While both husbandry techniques and holding/rearing space may need to be adapted to accommodate new and little-understood species and to meet high bio-security standards, the basic infrastructure and expertise are already in place at many zoological facilities. The only way to ensure that the public adopts amphibian-friendly behavior and that government agencies enact amphibian-friendly measures is to educate the public about the imminent nature of this conservation threat. Within a decade, one-third to one-half of an entire class could disappear. People need to act immediately so that the necessary regulatory changes and personal behaviors that reduce the impact of pollution, habitat, and climate change will be adopted; funds will be raised for captive rearing, habitat restoration, and eventual reintroduction actions; and resources will be committed to monitoring amphibian population changes so that we know what species are where, which are stable, which are decreasing, and what has been lost. With strong education departments, diverse teaching methodologies and techniques, and access to vast numbers of visitors, zoos and aquariums can lead this important public awareness campaign. 2. Species of Concern Have Already Been Identified The IUCN has asked regional zoological associations such as AZA to prioritize the amphibians in their regions as targets of conservation action, so that none of their species goes extinct. This North American focus will allow AZA facilities to work within domestic infrastructure, permitting, and partnership confines, and to share the financial resources required for effective conservation. In addition, a regional focus allows AZA members to demonstrate commitment to local communities, and minimizes any cultural and public relations conflicts related to the export of biodiversity from other regions. In July 2007, the AZA Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group (ATAG) developed lists of Canadian, US, Caribbean, and Mexican species whose conservation status would benefit from captive rearing programs at AZA zoos and aquariums. This list (Appendix 1) was generated through a process developed by the global Amphibian Ark that incorporates conservation threat, mitigation potential, phylogenetic uniqueness, and other considerations. The first steps to get involved are to review these lists and contact the designated species coordinator (Appendix 2) about the status of captive rearing programs for that species. If no species coordinator is listed, consider volunteering to initiate a program on a species’ behalf. To do this, contact the ATAG and your state wildlife agency. If interested in international amphibian conservation, review the Mexican and Caribbean species lists and contact local experts to ensure that project ideas complement local priorities. Commit to expanding capacity in range countries so that ex situ populations can be 4 maintained in-country. The ATAG will
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